The tears flow as I write this...

[HeldUp]

I know much was written here about Jim Berger, but I didn't know about this...

Thanks Bruce!

--------------
Springsteen Tributes Attack Victim

Updated: Sat, Oct 06 3:16 PM EDT

YARDLEY, Pa. (AP) - The memorial service for a fan who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks included a special videotaped tribute from Bruce Springsteen.

James P. "Jim" Berger, 44, a senior vice president of the insurance company AON Consulting Group, died in the attack on the World Trade Center. His memorial service was attended by 1,000 people.

Co-workers said Berger shepherded many of AON's employees to safety from their 101st-floor office in the trade center's south tower after the north tower was struck by a jetliner.

"I am so proud my husband was able to put other people in front of himself in the face of what must have been unbelievable fear," Berger's widow Suzanne said before the lights dimmed and Springsteen appeared on a screen set up for Friday's service.

Springsteen dedicated his performance to Berger's three sons. "I understand this was one of your Pop's favorite songs," he said.

Then, with a harmonica in his mouth and a guitar in his hands, Springsteen began to play "Thunder Road."

[brucegroupie]

Tarik, thanks for posting this. Thunder Road is one of my favorites also, and I'm sure I'll think of this thread each time I hear it from now on. What a great tribute for Bruce to offer to Mr. Berger's family. Mr. Berger sounds like a great man himself.

[The Music Traveler]

Oh heldup when I saw the title of this thread I froze for a sec thinking if I wanted to put the news on and see some world tradegy....

Another thread mentioned Bruce calling Jim's widow and talking. (I guess this was what they planned) What a wonderful tribute! That is just so fitting...thanks for telling me!

[Hazeleyes]

yes, me too. I teared up when I read this on Greasy Lake. Words can't describe what I felt when I read it, and still can't find the right words.

[Diamond D]

Today's "Trentonian" (if you're a Jersey-ite) the cover story is "Bruce's Tribute to Our Hero" - Boss Pays Homage to Lower Makefield Victim Who Saved Many Lives in WTC Attack... and a two page article inside.

"Springsteen received word of Berger's heroics and love for his music and took it upon himself to send a videotaped tribute to the family..."
"Suzanne, I just wanted to let you know that Patti's and my thoughts are with you today," Springsteen said. The Boss then spoike directly to Berger's three boys...
Then, with a harmonica in his mouth, and a guitar in his hands, Springsteen began to play "Thunder Road."
The Boss's performance was pitch-perfect, save for one line that didn't fit the day -- "Baby I'm no hero, that's understood," he sang.
But through the words of Berger's family, friends, and coworkers, there is no doubt that he will always be remembered as exactly that -- a hero.

Touching...

[imabrucefan]

How very, very touching. It brings a tear to my eye also. There is a picture of Bruce and a small article about this on the Yahoo news site today.

[mysticbruce]

Top Stories




BRUCE VIDEO FOR WTC LOCAL HERO




JEFF EDELSTEIN, Staff Writer October 06, 2001





Trentonian Photo/BOB CASTELLI Nicholas J. Berger, son of Jim Berger, reads a prayer of the faithful at a service for his father at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Yardley.

LOWER MAKEFIELD TWP., Pa. -- More than 1,000 family, friends and co-workers of Jim Berger listened as Bruce Springsteen paid homage to the fallen American hero yesterday.
The moving videotaped tribute, sent personally by Springsteen, was part of a memorial service at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Yardley where Berger, 44, who perished on Sept. 11 during the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, was honored by family, friends, employees and the Boss' hit song, "Thunder Road."

Berger, who served as a vice-president for the Aon Corporation, was in his company's offices on the 101st floor of the South Tower when the second hijacked airliner hit on Sept. 11.

According to the words of many of his co-workers, Berger took control of his 156 employees soon after the first (North) tower was struck, shepherding them down the stairs and towards the elevators to safety.

"It's no surprise that the last moments of Jim's life were spent helping others," said Ellen O'Connor, his sister-in-law.

His brother, Tim, related the story of Berger's last moments.

Virtually all of the people on the floor were on their way to safety, and Berger decided to make one last sweep of the offices.

"He found a woman sitting at her desk," he said. "Jim came by, and made her get on the elevator.

"She later told me he was her angel."

Tim Berger described his older brother as a man who could always be counted on.

Their father died at a young age, and Jim Berger, then 15, took over as father to his younger brothers.

"He would take us to Boy Scouts, play ball with us," Tim Berger said. "After he got his first job, he bought me and my brother Terry, we were 8 and 9, Mets uniforms from Sears with his first paycheck."

The Mets uniforms were of special significance, as the three of them were Mets fans while their other brother, Michael, was a Yankees fan.

In his opening comments, Berger made sure to mention that The New York Times got that fact wrong in their profile of his older brother, Jim.

"In their Sept. 21 edition, they reported him as a Yankee fan," he said. "Jim was a lifelong Met fan and never once rooted for the Yankees. They should print a retraction."

The comment brought some laughter during the sad occasion.

Berger also mentioned his brother was a passionate music fan, especially for the work of Springsteen.

Springsteen received word of Berger's heroics and love for his music and took it upon himself to send a videotaped tribute to the family.

But before the Springsteen video was shown, Berger's brother, Michael, played another song, one he wrote especially for the service.

The title of the song, as explained by Father Jim Tortorici, was struck upon by Berger's eldest son, Nicholas.

"There's a little hill near their house," Father Tortorici said during the homily, "and Nick and I were there. He said this hill reminds me of my daddy -- it's big, strong and makes me feel safe. He then spread his arms and named it 'Hero Hill'" -- the name of the song.

The chorus of Michael Berger's song drew tears from many in attendance.

"My heart is empty, my head is full of things you and I have been through," he sung. "Ready or not brother, you know I will meet you tonight on Hero Hill."

After the performance, and near the end of the 2½-hour service, Suzanne, Berger's widow, spoke to the audience before introducing the Springsteen clip.

"I am so proud my husband was able to put other people in front of himself in face of what must have been unbelievable fear," she said, before the lights dimmed and Springsteen appeared on a large screen set up for the service.

"Suzanne, I just wanted to let you know that Patti's and my thoughts are with you today," Springsteen said.

The Boss then spoke directly to Berger's three boys.

"For Nicholas, this is for you. For Alexander, this is for you. For Christian, this is for you. I understand this was one of your Pop's favorite songs."

Then, with a harmonica in his mouth and a guitar in his hands, Springsteen began to play "Thunder Road."

The Boss's performance was pitch-perfect, save for one line that didn't fit the day -- "Baby I'm no hero, that's understood," he sang.

But through the words of Berger's family, friends, and co-workers, there is no doubt that he will always be remembered as exactly that -- a hero.

©The Trentonian 2001

[Boss MD]

Words can not describe.

[2catwoman]

Thank you, HeldUp, for posting this. Tears started flowing from my eyes as I was reading this...

Kim

[Nicki]

All I can do is echo the "thank yous", HeldUp. Reading this thread tonight was just what I needed to keep finding some "Reason to Believe" What an amazing, touching story. My thoughts & prayers go out to Jim's wife & sons.

[sharbur]

My sister Alice went to H.S. with Jim and was at Friday's service. She called me this morning to share the incredible story of Bruce's video. Apparently when Bruce's assistant delivered the video the day before the service, gifts for Jim's three boys were included. One of them was the harmonica that Bruce played in the video. Alice said that the home-video quality of the video, coupled with the words to Jim's boys and the closing "From all of us" (meaning Bruce, Patti and the kids) was incredible. Not a dry eye in the place. At the party after the service (after all this was an Irish family funeral) everyone sang Thunder Road (again). Alice read a poem that she wrote about Jim (many Bruce references) and she promises to post it here when she gets a minute.
Man...I've loved Bruce since '76 and being a Jersey girl I know he's a regular guy, but this whole story really makes my admiration of the man go to a higher level!

[aliceb]

Missing Jim --Died in the USA
Husband, son, father, brother
But nouns can only name.
Kind heart, gentle giant
Adjectives can't explain.
Singing Thunder Road
Jammin air guitar,
Verbs can't capture his soul
But his spirit's never far.
Last seen guiding others
Putting co-workers first.
But how do a wife, a mother, 3 sons
Reconcile the worst?
He's a hero, that's understood
But does it matter to his boys?
He won't be home for supper
To laugh and make some noise.
And you can't hug a memory
Or reach out and kiss a dream
So four brothers sadly recall
The last time he was seen.
Just one life among 6,000 lost
Grief grips with icy fingers
All the world's diminished
For us the suffering lingers.
But now he's singing with the Big Boss
Surfing clouds with a heavenly band
Watching over his family
From the Promised Land.
When suffering comes to visit
And takes a piece of your heart away
Let the love Jim lived fill it
Til we join him in song one day.

(i just want to say that jim would have been so embarassed by all this attention. The video was a complete and unexpected surprised when it arrived the day before the service. when the first strains of the harmonica played, the electricity in the church was palpable. i'm sure it was jim's spirit -- and finally he gets a front row seat. I understand the priest requested there be no bruce springsteen until after communion! ;-) there were no non-believers in church on friday.)

[Marsha]

AMEN

And now you've got me crying.
Thank you for sharing that.

Marsha

[Steve Kurtz]

Ya know that exhiliration you get when you're cruisin' down the street, singin' along with Thunder Road at the top of yer lungs, and the road goes ever on?

I'd like to think it was that emotion that Jim Berger carried with him into the WTC that Tuesday morning.

And I know that his desire to help and put himself in harm's way came from the same spot in his heart from whence flows that exhiliration.

You can't say enough about Jim Berger and those like him.

Nor can you say enough about the contribution to his memorial by a guy from Jersey, who found out, the hard way, just how important his music is to some of us.

Now he knows.

At least one of us carried it with him to the Promised Land.

[dari]

unbelieveable. i'm sure after that service that those relatives and friends who had probably at one time or another ragged on jim for being such a big fan...finally understood why he loved the man. it's just such a damn shame that it took losing jim to find out why. 2 classy guys who are both heroes in my book.

alice

your poem was amazing. thanks for sharing it.we're still gonna meet one of these days for that cup of coffee in kent.
sorry it wasn't this year. next year for sure.


dari

[Dirty Annie]

I got a phone call from Mom today. She asked if I read this story in the paper. She was crying. Ya got to understand my Mom is the most setimental sweetest lady you'd ever wanna meet and a great fan of Bruce. She feels an kinship with him cause they are both September "babies" as she puts it. She was crying and saying how sad it all was. But thought is was so very cool for Bruce to try to comfort the family. She could not believe it. She said" See I told your Dad what a nice guy he is". BTW, she goes, "What are the lyrics to that Thunder Road? So after a speedy recitation, I set her off crying again. "He thought of all that?" she said. "That is beautiful". Yeah Ma, that it is.

[brucegroupie]

Your mom sounds so special, Dirty Annie.

[bossmom]

WOW!!!! I am uin tears right now after reading this thread. i saw an article about this in our sunday paper this morning and knew i had to check the board for a thread.

Jim, you are a true hero and Bruce, you are amazing, thank you!

[H&H]

i thought i had put most of the tears from these attacks behind me. then i saw this thread. thanks for sharing.
(although i can't make a habit of crying at my desk in the middle of the newsroom in front of my reporters.)

keith

[PJ619]

I too thought I had put the tears behind me..... As I'm sitting "out front" this morning, people are walking by and wondering why I'm crying and I can't even find the words to explain.

Thanks.

[ForYou]

Aw gee. Thanks Annie.